Night's Final Fall
by TheCatsApprentice19
Summary: Cold and alone, Horton and Kirsty are starting to come to terms with their new problems, and life in an unknown world. In celebration of the incoming year, the circus is given the night off, many taking a tour of the city that never sleeps. As the pair wait for the stroke of midnight, each reflect and dream about the future ahead. 'Seussia' One-shot, set between Chapter 19 and 23.


**Night's Final Fall:** _Cold and alone, Horton and Kirsty are starting to come to terms with their new problem, and life in an unknown world. In celebration of the incoming year, the circus is given the night off, many taking a tour of the city that never sleeps. As the pair wait for the stroke of midnight, each reflect and dream about the future ahead. 'Seussia' Oneshot, set between Chapter 19 and 23._

* * *

"I-I don't think I can do this, Eiffel…"

Kirsty looked across to the other trapeze platform, trying not to look down, the ground now twenty feet below her. Her entire body shaking nervously, self-doubt clouding her sight, the teenager was not even able to reach out to the bar, fear tightening her joints. The distance between her and the ground was measly compared to the height Horton and herself had scaled in their failure up Mount Nool to try and retrieve their infamous clover, yet that moment was one of pure adrenaline, the realization of the height not even crossing the girl's mind. The height, however, wasn't the overarching fear, the element of these very circumstances that most scared her being the overwhelming pressure to put trust in both herself and people she hardly knew.

A small crowd had gathered beneath her, mostly made up of the acrobats and dancers which made up the Circus McGurkus, this growing spectacle intriguing them. Eiffel, head trapeze artist, was on the other side, currently swinging back and forth upside down on one of the bars, holding his hands out. "Yes, you can. Just breathe, calm down a little...you'll be fine."

"Yeah! Relax girl!" Fabio, one of the Spanish juggler cousins, called out. "Just let go of your worries!"

A dancer known as Kit agreed. "Trust yourself and the rest will just follow. You can do it, kid!"

The crowd started to cheer her on, yelling out words of encouragement. The noise rose so much that Kirsty didn't know what to do. She looked around trying to find an answer, but nothing could come.

Eiffel looked her in the eyes, now sitting upright on the bars. "You don't have to do this, if you don't feel up to it. I'm not going to force you to do things you don't feel comfortable in doing. Just take your time."

After persisting, Kirsty took hold of the bar, her heart racing. She pushed off the platform, beginning to swing, and managed to awkward get into the position Eiffel wanted her in, hanging upside down by her feet. Just when she thought she was getting the hang of it, she lost her grip, quickly landing head first into the net below them.

Everyone rushed to her, as Eiffel let himself go, landing softly on the net, coming to her aid. "Are you okay, Kirsty? Does anything hurt?" When he saw her shake her head, he sighed in relief, his voice twitchy. "Thank goodness. We can't risk any further injuries. We'll leave it for today. Just...try not to break anything."

As he helped her down from the net, his attention turned to the crowds around them. "What are you all gawking at? Get back to work; we still have a long way to go before we are even ready for next week!" Swiftly, the crowd dispersed, immediately going back to their previous tasks.

Not wanting to further cause trouble, Kirsty slid off to the sidelines, the teenager returning to observing each act rehearsing their various tricks, stunts and routines like a well-oiled machine.

"God, X...your front flip is even sloppier that I first thought. Looks like I owe Flair a new pair of custom Nike. Well, there goes my sleep for the next week!"

Kirsty's head whipped round, noticing Liberty's sharp and irritated tone, soon followed by her familiar appearance, the young woman today donning a ripped silver leotard with her newly died florescent teal hair only just visible underneath a studded black hoodie. Liberty, who was sitting on a platform above her, soon looked down at her, realising her subconscious action.

"Talking to myself...Haven't done that in forever," she muttered, letting out a small laugh. "That was a pretty spectacular fall. I'm surprised you even made it up the platform- the last newbie fainted the minute he looked down. The coward didn't even last a week after that." Liberty rolled her eyes, before moving her attention back to Kirsty. "A bit different than what you're used to, is it?"

"Now that I think about it, it isn't actually that different," Kirsty answered, shrugging. "I think that everything is familiar, yet in the wrong order, so every time I stop and take in what's around me, my mind can't comprehend it. Does that even make any sense?"

Nodding her head slowly, Liberty exchanged a small, kind smile. "You know, I may start to like you. Underneath all the crazy you've get going on, you look like an okay gal."

Kirsty was about to answer, before Eiffel passed the two girl, his eyes drifting shortly to Kirsty, who immediately hung her head to avoid his gaze.

Liberty noticed this instantly, the trapeze artist's tone changing to one of sympathy. "You're still thinking about before, huh?"

"I just don't want to let him down," Kirsty admitted, her voice still. "We can't afford to make any more mistakes. We have to try and do some good for once..." Standing up, she shuffled away from Liberty, her eye firmly set on the rehearsal around her. "You don't think that I could make him loose his place in the circus? Everyone must think he's a fool, for putting his faith in an embarrassment like me."

Liberty jumped to her feet, turning the teenager around, her neon yellow fingerless gloves hands on Kirsty's thin shoulders. "Don't worry about him. He gets like that when he's over stressing. Just leave him for a little while and then he'll be back to normal. There is no point in putting yourself down, not when you have only been here a few days."

She stepped back, her face giving a pondering expression as she looked Kirsty over. "I have just the idea for you, but you'll need to bear with me for this one. So, I have these new outfits which I made to advertise the circus, along with my in-process, to-be-global fashion empire...but I have no one good enough to model them while I hand out advertisements for my e-business! The rest of the circus has already been subjected to enough pin pricking and sequins to last them a lifetime, and with such short notice, and my lousy budget, I can't hire out anyone outside of the circus. So, then I thought, maybe you could be my model?"

"Are you sure, Liberty? I not even-"

"It would only be for an hour or so, and don't worry, all you would have to do is walk round the Big Apple and hand out flyers with me. And besides, it would be a great chance to show you around the city, especially on New Year's Eve. Plus, if you helped me out, I would be able to give you some private classes when no one else is around and help you with your act. So, what do you say? Are you up for it?"

Kirsty gave her an unsure yet willing nod, to which Liberty put an arm around her shoulder, the young woman now smiling. "Wicked! Now, just one last thing...you wouldn't happen to have any other possible volunteers up your sleeve, would you?"

* * *

Whoever said that the first step is always the hardest mustn't have taken many steps in their life.

This was the conclusion that Kirsty had come to as she observed the brisk speed that was New York City, the night growing older as the masses grew around her. The past few hours had waterlogged her brain with so much new sights, smells and scenery that despite the close to zero temperature outside, the girl hardly felt cold, even as she sat with her arms exposed to the lightly falling snow on top of a seating structure they had managed to claim.

The first step into this populated city was the easiest compared to what came after, each succeeding step being taken with massive wonder yet also fear, at time it all being too much to handle.

Lucky, she wasn't alone in facing this daunting event, Horton managing to convince the teenager to turn him back into his human form from when they first arrived at the circus for the night. The elephant-now temporarily human- had never seen anything like the city before him, the concrete jungle that was the 'Big Apple' sending shivers down his spine as he struggled to find any natural life. His nose uncomfortably flooded with the potent odours of vehicle fumes and cigarette smoke that filled every street, yet his eyes were wide as the clock which sat in the centre of the city, speechless at everything he passed.

Kirsty on the other hand, who had lived in a metropolitan area similar to this for fifteen year of her life, was now swamped with a mixed feeling of crowdedness and freedom. Never before had she stepped out into the city that has surrounded her old home, or anywhere else in her own world for that matter, so this feeling was something she had only thought about a couple of times. At first she wished she had dreamed or imagined it on a regular basis, as it could have helped her prepared for that eventual day, yet she soon came to the decision that nothing would have made someone like her feel ready. Especially not after everything she had been through.

"So, what are your opinions on the city so far? You seem pretty comfortable amongst all the crazy."

Blinking herself back into reality, Kirsty turned her head, to see Liberty sighing in front of her, with a collection of food in her hands. With her mint winter off the shoulder jumpsuit and turquoise wedge boots, she looked ever much an aspiring fashion designer, and with a few signature, off beat pieces strung into her outfit, still very much her rebel style self. "Drat. I interrupted something, didn't I? I've seen that look all too often…I can see your thought fading in your eyes."

"It was nothing," Kirsty answered, coming off as slightly defensive. "So, how did you think you went?"

Sitting down beside her, as she passed the teenager a share of her goods, Liberty's voice grew hopeful. "I think we got a few possible buyers. You did awesome for a beginner, and the crowd loved your outfit." Liberty nodded slightly in self-approval as she looked over Kirsty's clothes, which consisted of a fur lined white tail coat jacket and a midnight blue knee length dress over a star speckled petticoat, together with a simple scarf, beanie and fur mittens to keep the teenager warm in the close to zero conditions. "And your friend did great as well. Where did you find him? I thought that you didn't know anyone in America?"

"I don't, but let's just say…he was willing to help me." Kirsty's eyes turned to Horton, who was busy watching a group of rowdy pigeons having a fight, or a 'little domestic', as Liberty liked to label it a short distance away. His ensemble was also minimalistic and casual, his grey colour palette with a splash of salmon pink also suiting his quiet demeanour. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, most of which aren't the easiest to explain."

"Well, I look forward to hearing that story when I get the chance," Liberty smirked.

As the silence held itself in the bitter air, creating an almost sombre mood, Liberty flinched. "Oh wait…I'm buzzing…" Reaching for her phone, Liberty's eyes darted across its screen, before standing back up and grabbing her leather coat out of her bag. "Looks like I'm being summoned. Would you like to come? I'm sure the others would be fine with a few more people to beat them at ice skating."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline. I don't want to get injured further for the opening performance," Kirsty answered, her decision made mainly for Horton's sake, knowing that if his unstable disguise happened to fail, a situation such as that would leave to many questions, ones she didn't have the energy to face tonight. "Don't worry; we'll be able to find our way back to the tent, and we won't be out much longer anyway."

"If you're sure. Use that extra change to pay for a cab if you need one. I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal, okay Kirst?" Seeing Kirsty nod, she waved the pair goodbye, before disappearing into the snow covered, confetti filled, neon lighted crowds.

When the girl had made herself invisible from the pairs view, Horton voice came into ear's range. "You could have gone with her. You're not my babysitter, you know!" Horton told her, before receding, seeing Kirsty's uneasy expression. "I mean….you're my friend, and I appreciate that you're spending time with me, especially in this situation. But that doesn't mean that you have to give up making new friends for my sake."

"You know I'm not good at that sort of thing," Kirsty sighed in reply. "Besides, they would be better off not getting into friendships with people like me. I don't want to drag them into all my problems like I did with you." Suddenly, she felt a sharp smack on her arm, the teenager pulling back, more from surprise than pain.

Before she could even speak, Horton interjected. "One good thing about being a human," he began, his grasp on the pronunciation of Kirsty's species still in its early stages. "You can smack people without almost wrapping a trunk around their face when they doubt themselves too much." His face stayed in its created stern image, before loosening to its typical, approachable expression, as he changed the subject. "There's so much energy here…I can see why people keep calling it 'the city that never sleeps'. Tonight seems no different."

"I remember back where I used to live, on New Year's Eve there used to be these loud noises and fireworks in the sky. There wasn't any snow- it was summer over there at the time- but it was beautiful all the same. They said that you could see them from anywhere in the city," Kirsty said. "When I was younger, I used to creep out of my bed so I could look out my window and watch them right on midnight. That was before I had the nerve to climb up close to the rooftop."

"Was it as big as this place?"

"I don't think so. But, hey…I wouldn't know for sure. I never ventured even outside the doors of that place until now, even though this is just a dream."

"You still think that? Even after everything that's happened?"

Kirsty opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped, her answer becoming lodged in the dry web that was her personal thoughts. "I…don't know," she stuttered, somewhat scared by her uncertain response. "Everything around me is so cloudy that nothing makes even the slightest sense. I wish I could just wake up from all this…"

"Why?"

Reaction delayed, Kirsty slowly and timidly turned her whole body towards Horton, who was now staring the girl straight in the eye. "What do you mean?"

"Why would you want to wake up, forget everything and anything?" Horton gently takes her hands, the tensions immersed in them now decreasing to only subtle fear. "Life, whether real or not, is something you should never be frightened by. Why keep running, when you can finally take chances, trust people, have the freedom to discover the world?"

A weighty silence followed, all noise around them fading into oblivion as Kirsty struggled to put her true thoughts into understandable words, even now not ready to be sincere with her friend regarding her life and all that entangled it. It was broken only by the opening bang of fireworks overhead were let off, the two forced apart as the crowds began to celebrate the incoming New Year.

" _Should auld acquaintance be forgot. And never brought to mind?_ _"_

" _Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_ _a_ _nd auld Lang syne…"_

Both glanced towards each other, the two friends failing to make words to express their innermost musings. Instead, they folded into a warm hug, their quarrels silence by the noise of the fireworks and their united hope for a better future, whatever it may have been.

" _For auld Lang syne, my dear, for auld Lang syne,"_

 _We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld Lang syne!"_

* * *

 **A/N: This story was supposed to be a part of showtunediva's holiday collaboration collection last year, but I wasn't able to send this or finish this in time. It was abandoned for months (as has my whole fanfiction account), but I hope this story marks my return to fanfiction. Updates for 'Seussia' will be coming soon on my account, and hopefully soon, a actual chapter. Thank you to all who have stuck with me, and my deepest apologies to every single on of you for being worse than Steven Moffat with Sherlock: Series 4. ~Sophie**


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